Portrete cu Dragoste - Portraits with Love

Well here we are another Christmas in Romania, this marks my 3rd one here since moving in September 2017 and it’s been quite an amazing adventure. If flights weren’t so expensive, I’d travel back to the US to visit with family. But also now family is here in Romania, being split between both locations.

Last year I launched a personal project called “Portrete cu Dragoste” which translates to Portraits with Love in English. It came from the idea of another project HelpPortrait, but sadly wasn’t successful my first year here in Romania as it falls on the first Saturday of December, and usually that’s the time the country celebrates their national day, which is 1 December, so everyone plans a 3-4 day weekend vacation. I had to re-evaluate and create a new strategy. Thankfully, working with The Salvation Army here I know contacts all over who are doing great charity work, and those collaborating together, as well as Romania’s best photographers. So what else could I do but combine these two groups with the same idea in mind, hence, I launched this project.

Since the start, my good friend and phenomenal photographer, Alejandro Ilukewitsch, jumped on board to be a part of it to launch in 2018. That first year was 5 photo shoots: (1.) Working with families in a village who we brought some donations too also and printed photos, seeing them so thankful was amazing, and (2. 3. & 4.) The Salvation Army in Bucharest and Ploiesti, photographing volunteers and beneficiaries they work with, and (5.) concluding with a trip to Brașov, where we photographed portraits of students sponsored by an American NGO, Hearts Across Romania, to go to university. The portraits were used for the organization to display their students sponsored as well as allow the students to have a photo they can use for their CV.

2019 led to new contacts, we worked with The Salvation Army again, who I work the majority of my time with, and donated portraits to the families who sponsored their Angel Tree at Gradinița Amicii in Constanța. Later doing a photo shoot with an animal shelter in Constanța and soon (expanding beyond the Christmas-time period) another shelter and a project training dogs for disabled people.

It’s been a great 2019, view my Instagram for highlights of the year and hopefully 2020 brings even more growth!

Fitness Photo Shoot

Last year just before moving to Romania I was still working as the Production Manager for The Salvation Army Headquarters in Atlanta, GA and we traveled to a couple of our Kroc Centers (state-of-the-art community centers with full-blown fitness centers, aquatic centers, outdoor fields, chapel/theater and banquet halls). 

My colleague and I spent a week just capturing video b-roll and shooting photos, literally anything and everything we could catch: children, families, adults in classes, recreation, events, etc. We honestly needed more than a week to capture everything happening at each location, but we also did spend full days just shooting things to use for marketing. It was a blast.

One of my highlights for that week was an idea to do a "fitness" photo shoot for some marketing for their classes offered with their fitness instructors as models. We went to the main gym and also the "trendy" crossfit room to capture some dramatic shots. I was heavily inspired by work I had seen from some photographers' work before and setup the strobes for the effect I was looking for, and then the editing took it to the final level.

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The setup was pretty simple actually, 2 800W alien bees, the key was a large softbox 45º, and the back light (when used) was open-faced with a scoop opposite the key, or 90º opposite the side of the key. I really wanted to accentuate the detail of their muscles, something that's fun to do with light, how the shadows & highlights meet each other. When editing I exaggerated the clarity and pushed the contrast and saturation to the edge of reality to get the look I was going for. I played with the shadows and highlights, some brushing obviously and touch-ups. In the end, I loved the results, check it out! I can't wait to do another (in another backdrop, give me a new challenge!)

I'm in Romania Now

Wow! I can't believe the time has passed. Back in September I made the jump to Romania and in just a few weeks came Autumn and the chaotic weeks of setting up my business and establishing residency. By the time I locked in my apartment, some work teaching English/remotely managing a DAM/Communications manager for Armata Salvarii, winter arrived. Before I knew it I was in Constanta with Marian & Daniela Sterea celebrating Christmas, back in Bucharest for New Year's then off again with Marian, Daniela & Cristian to Bucovina for a week.

Then the rush of getting things going, 4 jobs in to get a steady income all while trying to start making connections as a ROMANIAN PHOTOGRAPHER. So... here I am, and once the snow melts away and the Spring sun starts shining, I'll be ready with my gear to capture some Weddings, Portraits and all things photogenic.

So... start by BOOKING HERE!

Bicycle Photos

If you know me then you know I love bikes! I've been cycling for 2 years now (almost to my 2 year anniversary since I bought my Giant road bike). And after reading cycling magazines and books, drooling over photos of bikes on Instagram and 500px; new bikes, used bikes, portraits of people on bikes, bike accessories... all of it captured so wonderfully. Now when I look at photos of things I enjoy I don't just fall in love with that product being advertised or shown, but I also fall in love with the photography: the lighting, backdrop, details, color or b&w, etc etc.

Over the last two years my urge to do a bike shoot had grown ever so much, and while on my way to a photo shoot in Piedmont Park for The Salvation Army one of the models rode by on her bike. After introducing and so forth we chuckled about taking some shots with her and the bike, not only that but the other model also rode her bike to the park - PERFECT!!

So we'd setup shots for the "real" reason we were there to shoot, and when they could relax we took the quick opportunity to capture some fun times of them riding around that area, or posing with the bike. 

I had a 24-70mm lens on so I could zoom in and out to frame as they moved and the sun was at a great angle (about 3pm in November), so I used it to backlight them and had an assistant to hold the reflector and bounce light. I used some techniques I had seen in other pro shots and mixed with the setting we had, and the models were great to work with and had colorful outfits. Check out the photos below and also on my 500px profile where you can share and purchase.

Cosplay Exploration

Lately I've been really fascinated with photographing people, and there is something about grabbing the reality from a fantasy cosplay shoot, or creating a fantasy from reality that is so unique. I had never done a cosplay shoot before, but really wanted to pull the human element out of each character, and give them an opportunity to be that character.

I played around a lot with the lighting to get different looks, trying to focus on defining the details in their costumes, and the expressions of their faces. Some just showing the outlines of their form, to create a real dramatic look, and I think they speak loud. Check out the images below.

So it started Saturday night, I was browsing for a fun photography idea to do Sunday and happened to check out Meetup. Near the top of the day was an event "Cosplay DragonCon Shoot" - and I hadn't ever done a cosplay shoot, let alone really knew what it was. But the photographer hosting it, John Mason, had a few of his examples in the description and I was immediately hooked. I didn't even take the time to think about it, I signed up for the event immediately.

It was definitely a worthwhile event, showed up at 11am to meet with other photographers to setup 4 areas with different lighting & backdrops, and about 1pm had models start arriving to get in their costumes until we finally finished about 4pm.

The location was great, and had the amazing opportunity to learn from other photographers, their style and their lighting setups - which is my main reason for attending group photo shoots.

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